Chester Upland Officials Warn School District Is Nearly Out of Money

(Members of the Chester Upland school board today, discussing the financial crisis there. Credit: David Madden)

By David Madden

CHESTER, Pa. (CBS) — The Chester Upland School District has been in and out of financial trouble for years, but now the district is hinting it might have to shut down if help doesn’t come from Harrisburg — and quickly.

The district says it will run out of money to make payroll at the end of this month, and faces a looming $24-million deficit.

Now, school board members are pleading with Gov. Tom Corbett to advance $18.7 million in state funding. Acting superintendent Dr. Levi Wingard believes the governor will do something but foresees dire consequences otherwise.

(Dr. Levi Wingard. Credit: David Madden)

“If we don’t have the funding to keep the schools open on the very end, and it would be my last option, would be to close the schools,” Wingard (right) said today.

Then again, his tenure expires December 31st.

The board has been working with state officials for months, but between state funding cuts and the diversion of money directly to charter schools, officials here insist they have no other option but to beg for help.

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David Madden is a Philadelphia native with virtually a lifetime of experience in local radio. At the tender age of 13, his news reports were heard on WIBG Radio from time to time.
His first paid on-air position was as a freelance reporter for WIBG...